The most important films and series about popes and conclaves

BarcelonaFor decades, films and TV series have been exploring the figure of the Pope, both through more or less true-to-life portraits of real popes and through pure fiction that imagines other possible popes. Comedies, dramas, and even thrillers have addressed this fascinating figure of power to explore themes such as doubt, ambition and responsibility.

A cardinal in the midst of a crisis of faith (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the greatest ritual of Catholicism: the election of a new pope. The halls of the Vatican are the setting for this gripping intrigue. one thriller full of unexpected twists To the limit of plausibility, it pays special attention to every detail of the conclave's organization. "It's a story of a power struggle and could be set in the world of politics or business," explained to ARA the director, Edward Berger.

Nanni Moretti directs This comedy about a pope (Michel Piccoli) who, after being elected by the archbishops, goes out onto the balcony to introduce himself to the faithful, has a panic attack and flees the Vatican, leaving the archbishops with nothing. The director of Dear diary humanizes the pontiff through a friendly humor that is less pungent than expected from one of the Italian filmmakers most identified with leftist ideals.

Francis was a pope beloved by the cinema. biopeaks as Francisco. Father Jorge (2015) or Tell me Francisco. The life of a pope (2015) and documentaries such as Pope Francis: a man of his word, directed by Wim Wenders. But the most interesting contribution of cinema to the figure of Francis is surely The two popes (2018), about the relationship between Jorge Bergoglio (the future Pope Francis, played by Jonathan Pryce) and Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins).

With the Cold War as a backdrop, a Ukrainian priest (Anthony Quinn) imprisoned in a Siberian labor camp is released for being an advisor to the Vatican and ends up becoming Pope, playing a key role in the geopolitical chessboard of a world that seems to be heading towards a third world war. The actor John Gielgud, who plays Pope Pius XIII, was Pope on two other occasions, in Scarlet and black (1983) and Elizabeth (1998).

The one ofThe torment and the ecstasy This is a pope as we are not used to seeing him: a virile leader who commands his armies in war with other states while commissioning Michelangelo (Charlton Heston) to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A charismatic Rex Harrison embodies Pope Julius II in this historical drama based on the best-seller namesake of Irving Stone.

Pope Francis was the first pontiff from Latin America and in The young popeIn Paolo Sorrentino's series, Jude Law played America's first pope. Young, charismatic, and a smoker, Pope Pius XIII, born Lenny Belardo, defines himself as "uncompromising, vengeful, and irritable" and implements ecclesiastical reforms that demonstrate his radical vision of the institution. In a Vatican rife with intrigue, the Pope's closest confidant is a nun, Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), who raised Belardo in an orphanage.

Sorrentino's fascination with the Vatican continued with The new pope, in which John Malkovich played Pope John Paul III, successor to Pius XIII (Jude Law), in an irreversible coma. The son of a duke who has managed to convert numerous Anglicans to Catholicism, the new pope possesses charisma and mystery, but also battles depression.

This miniseries strays from Vatican intrigues but addresses one of the Church's main problems: the sexual abuse of minors by priests. Specifically, the series focuses on the abuses perpetrated in Chile by priest Fernando Karadima, which were covered up by Bishop Juan Barros. When Pope Francis visited Chile in 2018, Barros was present at public events, which upset the country's society. Shortly after, the Pope admitted that supporting Barros had been a mistake and had to accept the bishop's resignation.